The object of this invention is to extend the load capacity of a pair of mating bevel gears.
The load carrying capacity of mating bevel gears, i.e. a pinion and an output gear, depends on a number of variables, among which is the face width of the gear teeth. Due to manufacturing constraints this face width is limited to a particular percentage of gear cone distance. The present invention avoids the problems due to this limitation by nesting a secondary pinion within a primary pinion, whereby the secondary pinion shares part of the gear load.
An arrangement of the type described is useful on applications where momentary load spikes have to be carried by the pair of mating bevel gears. Moreover, this arrangement is particularly useful in applications where weight is critical and where backlash between gears cannot be tolerated.